Open your closet and it’s easy to see the staying power of black: The little black dress, the black coat, the black shoes, the black hat. Out of the whole rainbow of choices, time and time again we reach for the stylish, sophisticated, and irreplaceable darks. Black is effortless and on point all at the same time.
So when you’re designing a bathroom to last potentially a lifetime, it makes perfect sense to choose a finish that will never go out of fashion. Black bathrooms are big in interior design right now, but they’re also set to stay in style for long after the installation.
A black tile bathroom makes a bold statement in a home, office, or restaurant. And with a little skill and inspiration, you won’t be left with a cave that looks like it was designed by an angsty teen. You’ll have a dramatic bathroom that’s sleek, stunning, and will stay that way for years to come.
We’re walking you through 9 dapper black bathrooms to get your bathroom design juices flow.
Just starting your bathroom design? Check out our Intro Guide to Bathroom Tile.
1. Make it Shine with Hardware
Tile Shown: Raven 2x8 // Design: Crystal Sinclair Designs // Imagery: Chase Daniel
Just like a piece of gold jewelry decorates an all-black outfit, gold or brass accents are a perfect finishing touch to an all-black bathroom. This restaurant bathroom goes bold with a breathtaking ensemble of full-coverage black tile and matching sink with an eye-catching art-deco light fixture and glowing brass hardware. A soft blush-colored ceiling also helps break up all the black.
2. Balance Black with White
Tile Shown: Basalt 2x8 & White Wash 3x6 // Design: Liz Stanley // Imagery: Liz Stanley
A black bathroom doesn’t have to be all black. Balancing your design with white subway tile adds contrast to your bathroom and accentuates the black features. This modern bathroom by Say Yes’s Liz Stanley reserves the black exclusively to the shower walls and floor, setting it apart from the bright white bathroom with a bold juxtaposition.
3. Check out Checkerboard
Tile Shown: Akoya 1x1 Sheeted, Halite 1x1 Sheeted & Akoya 6x6 // Design: Sarah Sherman Samuel // Imagery: Joseph Bradshaw
Perhaps the most classic combination of black and white is the classic checkerboard. A black and white checkerboard floor is at home in any setting but really stuns in a bold black bathroom. Vanessa Carlton’s dramatic black bathroom designed by Sarah Sherman Samuel is case and point, with arresting black walls that lead to a mosaic checkerboard floor with a unique stripes border. White accents throughout add to the motif.
4. Try an Ombre Transition
Tile Shown: Magnetite Hexite, Sea Glass Hexite & Calcite Hexite // Design: Vaught Frye Larson Aronson Architects // Imagery: Tim O’Hara Photography Inc.
Transitioning from black to white doesn’t have to be so immediate. By transitioning from light to dark with an ombre gradient, the contrast becomes more playful. This contemporary bathroom uses Hexite tile to segue from black paint to white tile with a perky pop of Sea Glass in between.
Find more ombre inspiration here.
5. Match Shadows
Tile Shown: Cyclone 3x3 Sheeted // Design: West Haddon Hall // Imagery: Jenna Peffley
Identifying how light and shadow work in your space is a great guide for where to feature dark tile. This bathroom features a beautiful white and black marble sink. The space below the sink is naturally dimmed by shadow, making a perfect place to play up the contrast with dark grey wall and floor tile while the well-lit area above the sink gets styled with complementary white paint.
6. Add an Accent Wall to a Small Bathroom
Tile Shown: Black Hills Brick // Design: Caren Rideau // Imagery: Meghan Beierle
Too much black can close in a space which is particularly problematic for small spaces. But a black accent wall does the opposite adding depth to the dimension it's featured on. This narrow powder room features a black brick accent wall behind the vanity to make the space feel deeper while gazing into the also space-enhancing mirror.
Learn more about bathroom accent walls.
7. Lean into Shape
Tile Shown: Basalt Chaine Homme // Design: Hatch Works // Imagery: Robert Gomez
If you’re looking to dress things up a bit, consider styling your black bathroom with a specialty shape. This communal office sink area takes the sophistication of black tile to the next level with a backsplash of interlocking Chaine Homme Tile. A black ceiling and partial black walls tie the entire space together.
8. Play with Pattern
Tile Shown: Basalt 3x9, Basalt 3x12 & Basalt 1x6 // Design: Shavonda Gardner // Imagery: Shavonda Gardner
A black bathroom shouldn’t be one-dimensional. Using patterned tile or wallpaper adds intricacy to the bold color. Shavonda Gardner shows the potential of a black motif with a herringbone floor pattern and an exotic floral wallpaper that goes perfectly with the matte black tile.
9. Design for Life
Tile Shown: Carbon 3x12 // Design: Alyson Morgan // Imagery: Alyson Morgan
Truly great design exists in harmony with our lives, so consider your own lifestyle and how your design choices will enhance it. While we all strive to keep our homes polished and tidy, sometimes life has better plans, and black tile does a great job of letting us off the hook from time to time. For herbalist Alyson Morgan, more interested in getting dirty in the garden than scrubbing floors, a black basketweave floor in her bathroom was a practical choice with elegant results.
Learn more about black floor tile.
Ready to go bold with a black bathroom of your own? Get started with a sampling of our black tiles below, or get connected with a Design Consultant for free personalized design assistance from the pros who know our tile best.